Whatever happened to that £22bn black hole, eh? As yet more pay rises are dolled out to workers across the country this month, Mr S has been scouring the government’s transparency data to take a closer look at just how many times ministers have met with union barons. The conclusion? Quite a lot. In fact, in just six months, ministers tabled over 220 meetings with their trade union representatives – working out at just under 40 meetings a month and 1.3 a day. Talk about up the workers…
Between July and December 2024, some 222 meetings were held between union representatives and Labour ministers. The Department for Business and Trade was kept busiest, with 41 meets scheduled across Labour’s first six months in power, while the Department of Health and Social Care came a close second on 38 discussions and the Department for Education hot on their heels with 37. Unions including Unite, Unison, GMB, BMA and Prospect became regular Whitehall visitors during Sir Keir Starmer’s first half year in power – and their reps proved effective negotiators, with union wins like the resident doctors calling off industrial action after they received rises worth over 22 per cent over two years.
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